Collapsible wire reel



Oct. 20, 1959 G. E. WHITAKER 2,909,340

COLLAPSIBLE WIRE REEL Filed April 12, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT OR dam-an 206i u hifafler BYCWMM ATTORNEY Oct. 20, 1959 e. E. WHITAKER 2,909,340

COLLAPSIBLE WIRE REEL Filed April 12, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENT OR anmzfifvnimjzer ATTORNEY Oct. 20, 1959 cs. E. WHITAKER 2,999,340

' COLLAPSIBLE WIRE REEL Filed April 12, 1957 E 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

aranz flnhizafier Oct. 20, 1959 a. E. WHITAKER 2,909,340

COLLAPSIBLE WIRE REEL Filed April 12, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 'ltn INVENT OR ATTORNEY COLLAPSIBLE WIRE REEL Grant E. Whitaker, Houston, Tex.

Application April 12, 1957, Serial No. 652,334

Claims. 01. 242-115 I This invention relates to collapsible drums and more particularly to a type adapted to support heavy electric .wire or cable coiled thereon. The drums may becon-' 'str-ucted of sheet metal and are adapted to withstand the usual severe wear and tear experienced when the drums are in transit. Although the drums are preferably formed of sheet metal or wood, other materials ofadequate strength may be used.

-In the past, it has been found necessary-for wire and ;cable manufacturers to ship their products toiindividual supply houses on rigid wooden spools or reelsiand although thirty inches is the customary reel diameter other :sizes have been used. The supply house customerswould normally return the empty reels to the supply house for credit who, when there was a sufficient accumulation, ship the empty reels back to the manufacturer. This naturally involved the constant use of unnecessary storage space in transit with the resultant critical cost, whether they have been returned by truck or freight car. In turn, these large reels required the manufacturer to maintain an unreasonable amount of storage during their residence at the individual plant.

It is an object of my invention to provide collapsible heaVy wire or cable drums which will withstand the most severe of handling regardless of the particular weight of the wire or cable involved. i Another object is to provide a cable drum which, when mately one-third of its normalwidth when the reel had been in its previous maximum extended position having cable coiled therearound.

A further object of this invention is to presenta con- :stant smooth drum periphery to support heavy insulated "Wire or cable coiled around the drum with the minimum or complete absence of damage thereto.

An additional object is to provide a collapsible wire or cable drum that would not require tools to assemble "or to disassemble.

A further added objective is to provide a collapsible drum forming an entity whether attached'or not to the "steel side plates of the reel. 7

fully collapsed, would require the minimum or a'pproxioperation as will be more fully described andparticularly pointed out in the instant specification, drawings and claims appended thereto.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side view of the collapsible'wire drum shown in open position.

Figure 2 is a partial sectional view of the front of the drum when in open position.

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the drum in closed position. 1

Figure 4 is a partial isometric view of the "folding secmaria Patented Oct. 20, 1959 tors showing their relative hinged positions within the side plate windows.

Figure 5 is also an isometric view showing the hinged provisions for the opposed interchangeable sectors.

Figure 6 is an inside horizontal view showing the relaave positions of two of the sectors in section when in extended positions.

Figure 7 is an illustrated exploded view showing the interconnecting positioning of two of the sectors in one of the side plate walls, while Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of the plurality of pairs of sectors in assembled extended positions forming formed coincident with the axis of the opposed side are strongly built to withstand the Weight of the cable and the rough usage normally experienced. The Central reel element 18 is composed of a plurality of circumferentially disposed wedge-shaped sections or sectors 20 and are pivotally or hingedly secured within or adjacent the openings or windows 22 formed in each of the opposed side plates or walls 10 and 12.

The collapsible metallic reel element 18, composed of the plurality of pairs of sectors 20 having curved or arcuate tops 24, which when in, outward or extended positions, present a circular keystone construction adapted to support heavy coiled wire or cable. The opposite ends 26, in the specific disclosure, are provided with right angular lugs or flanges 28 having drilled apertures 29 whereby they may be pivotally or hingedly secured in the windows of the side plate walls 10 and 12 by bolts 30.

It is also conceivable that the opposite ends 26 may have their hinged connections located on the inner faces of the plates or side walls Ill and 12. However, as particularly shown in the isometric views of Figures 4, 5 and 7, the outward edges of the opposed sectors 20 have plates or ends 32 which are adapted to be received within the slots or windows 22, forced out ofthe side walls 10 and 12, forming opposed lugs 33 provided with'drilled apertures 35.

With particular reference to Figures 1 and 8, it will be observed that because of the specific shapes of the individual sectors 20 having interfitting beveled sides 38 and arcuate tops '24, appropriately connected at 28 to the reel side walls, a very exceptional strong drum, having an approximately unbroken periphery is presented. Due to the continuity of the wedge-shaped sectors when in extended positions the relatively solid 360 degree drum is formed with the resultant strength proportionally increased as compared with considerably weaker conventional drums that had been previously used for a comparable purpose.

it can be readily appreciated that although the preferred form of connections are shown as definite outwardly extending and vertical flanges 28 it is obvious that other types of fastening means may be employed. For example and as indicated above, the means for securing the sector outer ends could be installed on the inner faces of the side plates and still accomplish a comparable objective.

Further, it willbe understood that the strength of the formed drum is not entirely vpredicated upon the use of the specific reel sideplates as the formed drum constitutes an entity or complete structure when the component parts have been assembled as has been indicated in 'the diagrammatic view in Figure 8 where the interfitting The abutting rear ends of the opposed sectors 20 are pivotally secured mid point by hinges 34 to permit the sectors to move radially outwardly. These sectors are circumferentially spaced and when fully extended provide a solid 360 degree drum. It is to be observed that the sector sides 38 are inwardly and downwardly beveled, creating a wedge engagement when extended. When one or more strands of cable are coiled about the drum 7 it. is considered to be of self supporting, proportionally increasing in strength as additional strands are coiled therearound. The area covered by the coiled cable is indicated at 40 in Figures 2 and 3.

In Figures 2 and 3, a diagramatic showing has been made indicating the coiled cable with the side walls being sectioned to reflect the relative positioning of the sectors in the lower portion of the structure. Figure 2 particularly shows the sectors in open position while in Figure 3 the drum has been shown collapsed with the width of the drum having been reduced to a minimum or about one-third of the width when in the maximum extended position.

In view of the difliculty in disclosing the relative positions of the component parts of the structure a side view ofthe collapsible drum has been shown in Figure 1 indicating the relative position of the ends of the sectors as they protrude through and are attached to the flanges at the window locations on one of the parallel side plates. Figure 7, looking down on the sector plates, is an isometric view to further reflect these plurality of connections.

Among other advantages, as more specifically shown looking under the sectors as disclosed in Figures 4 and 5, is the interchangeability of the opposing sectors. In ad dition, a complete arch support has been provided along the full width of the supporting drum surface and it is to be further noticed that no bolts, rods or nuts must necessarily be removed to enable the drum to be brought into extended or collapsed positions. No' tools are required to effect either of these desired objectives and regardless of the weight of the coiled heavy cable, the entire struc' ture cannot be collapsed until the cable has been removed.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangements and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, in the parts and combination of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. .In a collapsible metallic reel capable of supporting heavy wire or cable, a pair of protective side plates having a plurality of windows formed radially therein presenting pairs of outwardly extending vertical flanges, drum forming means connecting said side plates adapted to enable collapsing of said reel to reduce the width of said reel to approximately one-third its extended width, said drum forming means comprising a plurality of wedgeshaped sectors having their opposite ends hingedly connected within the windows of said side plates and their inner ends hingedly connected whereby a drum is formed to support heavy wire or cable coiled about the peripheries of said sectors when extended, the tops of the sectors being arcuate and their sides being beveled so that when in side by side contact relationship a wedging action is obtained and a continuous smooth periphery is presented to support said heavy cable, the outer ends of said sectors having portions forced out centrally thereof whereby pairs of right angular flanges are formed having cooperative relationship with the pairs of side plate flanges, apertures formed in the flanges of said side plates and those formed from the sector ends.

2. In a collapsible metallic reel capable of supporting heavy wire or cable, a pair of protective side plates having a plurality of windows formed radially therein presenting pairs of outwardly extending vertical flanges, drum forming means connecting said side plates adapted to enable collapsing of said reel to reduce the reel to approximately one-third of its extended width, said drum 5 forming means comprising a plurality of wedge-shaped sectors having their opposite ends hingedly connectedwithin the windows of said side plates and their inner ends hingedly connected whereby a drum is formed to support heavy wire or cable coiled about the peripheries of said sectors when extended, the tops of said sectors being arcuate and their sides being beveled so that when in side by side contact relationship a wedging action is obtained and whereby a continuous smooth periphery is presented to support heavy cable, the outer ends of said sectors having portions forced out centrally thereof whereby pairs of right angular flanges are formed having cooperative relationship with the pairs of side plate flanges, apertures formed in the flanges of said side plates and those formed from the sector ends, and said outer sector ends adapted to protrude through said windows whereby said hinge connections are spaced outside of said side plates to facilitate collapsing of said reel to a minimum width.

3., In a collapsible metallic reel capable of supporting 5 heavy wire or cable, a pair of protective side plates having a plurality of windows formed'radially therein presenting pairs of outwardly extending vertical flanges, drum forming means connecting said side plates adapted to enable collapsing of said reel to reduce the reel to approximately one-third of its extended width, said drum forming means comprising a plurality of wedge-shaped sectors having their opposite ends hingedly connected within the windows of said side plates and their inner ends hingedly connected whereby a drum is formed to supportheavy wire or cable coiled about the peripheries of said sectors when extended, the tops of the sectors being arcuate and their sides being beveled so that when in side by side contact relationship a wedging action is obtained and whereby a continuous smooth periphery is presented to support heavy cable, the outer ends of said sectors having portions forced out centrally thereof whereby pairs of right angular flanges are formed having cooperative relationship with the pairs of side plate flanges, apertures formed in the flanges of said side plates and those formed from the sector ends, said outer sector ends adapted to protrude through said windows whereby said hinge connections are spaced outside of said side plates to facilitate collapsing of said reel to a minimum width, and the inner ends of said sectors having their hinge connections located below the bottom edges of the rear sector faces whereby the rear ends of said sectors are in approximately parallel abutting relationship when at maximum extended positions.

4. In a collapsible metallic reel capable of supporting heavy wire or cable, a pair of protective side plates having a plurality of windows formed radially therein presenting pairs of outwardly extending vertical flanges, drum forming means connecting said side plates adapted to expedite said reel to be collapsed to reduce the width of said reel to approximately one-third of its extended maximum width, said drum forming means comprising a plurality of wedge-shaped sectors having their opposite .ends hingedly connected together within the windows of said side plates and their inner ends hingedly connected whereby a drum is formed to support heavy wire or cable coiled about the peripheries of said sectors, the tops of the sectors being arcuate and their sides being beveled so that when in side by side contact relationship a wedging action is obtained and whereby a continuous smooth periphery is presented to support heavy cable,

- said sectors are interchangeable and of general rectangular formation comprise two inwardly beveled sides, one right angular end with the opposite end being open and having an arcuate top, right angular flanges being pressed up from'the central portion of said arcuate top, apertures formed horizontally in said pairs of side plate flanges and said right angular flanges formed from said arcuate sector tops.

5. In a collapsible metallic reel capable of supporting heavy cable, a pair of protective parallel side plates having a plurality of radially located windows, each window having a pair of spaced vertical flanges on each side thereof, drum forming means connecting said side plates enabling said reel to be readily collapsed to reduce the Width of said reel to approximately one-third of its maximum extended width, said drum forming means comprising a plurality of Wedge-shaped sectors having their opposite ends hingedly connected together within the Windows of said side plates and their inner ends hingedly connectedtwhereby a drum is formed to support heavy cable coiled about the peripheries of said sectors, the tops of the sectors being arcuate and their sides being beveled so that when in side by side contact relationship a wedging action is obtained and whereby a continuous smooth periphery is presented to support heavy cable, said sectors being interchangeable and of general rectangular formation comprising the two inwardly beveled sides, one right angular end with the opposite end being open and having an arcuate top, right angular flanges being pressed up from the arcuate top, apertures formed horizontally in said pairs of side plate flanges and said right angular sector flanges, and said outer sector ends adapted to protrude through said Windows and said hinge connections are spaced outside of said side plates to facilitate the reel to be collapsed to its minimum width or extended to its maximum Width.

Germany Sept. 22, 1932 Great Britain July 4, 1947 

